StubHub Crowns Taylor Swift the Top Tour and Hartford, Conn. the “Most Rockin’ City” of 2011; Coldplay Leads the Pack for 2012

By: eBay Inc. Staff

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace, today released its 2011 Concert Ticket Sales Report, the first of what will become a full annual review of concert sales on StubHub.com. StubHub found Taylor Swift’s Speak Now Tour outsold the last leg of U2’s 360° Tour to take the No. 1 spot of 2011, with Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour taking third place. Meanwhile, StubHub’s “Most Rockin’ Cities” were Hartford, Boston, and Miami. Last year was StubHub’s largest concert sales year in company history, largely due to increased access to tickets and the continued decline of prices – down 29 percent since 2007.

“In 2011, concert ticket prices decreased at a faster rate than any other category on StubHub, and we sold a record number of concert tickets. This illustrates the value of our marketplace – as more tickets enter the marketplace, prices decrease and more fans are able to purchase tickets”

“In 2011, concert ticket prices decreased at a faster rate than any other category on StubHub, and we sold a record number of concert tickets. This illustrates the value of our marketplace – as more tickets enter the marketplace, prices decrease and more fans are able to purchase tickets,” said Chuck La Vallee, StubHub’s head of music business development. “With a number of top artists set to kick off tours, including Black Sabbath, Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Chesney, and Madonna, we anticipate 2012 to be another big year as fans look to us for the best selection of tickets and the flexibility to buy the tickets they want, when they want.”

StubHub also connected with music fans during one of the most popular tours last year when it launched its “Take Off Your Boots” charity campaign from May–July 2011. After U2’s 360° Tour was postponed in 2010, fans that purchased tickets on StubHub were able to return their tickets, many of which were then used for a charitable program in partnership with Soles4Souls. Thousands of U2 fans in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Miami, Denver, and Seattle traded new or gently-used shoes for a pair of tickets, ultimately collecting over 2500 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls.

StubHub’s Top Tours of 2011
Based on gross ticket sales, StubHub found the top tours of 2011 were:

StubHub’s Most Rockin’ Cities of 2011
Based on gross ticket sales per capita, StubHub found the cities with the biggest music fans were in the following cities, with the most popular music event in the area listed for each:

Hartford has a history of strong concert ticket sales per capita, ranking among the top two “Most Rockin’ Cities” for the past three years (No. 2 in 2010 and No. 1 in 2009). Nearby Hartford is the home of StubHub’s recently remodeled and expanded East Granby Call Center, the heart of StubHub’s award-winning customer service. The Hartford Business Journal provides details from the October 2011 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

CONCERT LANDSCAPE IN 2012

Concert events are already heating up in 2012, with Coldplay and Coachella making waves in the ticket marketplace.

StubHub’s Top Tours of 2012
Based on gross ticket sales, StubHub finds the top tours of 2012, so far are:

Fans can find tickets for the hottest touring acts in 2012 by visiting www.stubhub.com.

About StubHub

StubHub is the world's largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company's unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient and highly reliable environment. All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company’s FanProtect Guarantee™. Company partners include the New York Yankees, Washington Redskins, and the University of Southern California along with nearly 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA, complemented with companies such as ESPN, Tickets.com, and Paciolan.